West Coast Airlines Flight 956
Sister aircraft N9102 in 1966 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | October 1, 1966 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain for undetermined reasons |
| Site | Clackamas County, Oregon, U.S. 5.5 miles (9 km) south of Wemme 45°15′35″N 121°59′43″W / 45.259617°N 121.995233°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-9-14 |
| Operator | West Coast Airlines |
| Call sign | WEST COAST 956 |
| Registration | N9101 |
| Flight origin | San Francisco International Airport San Francisco, California |
| 1st stopover | Eugene Airport Eugene, Oregon |
| 2nd stopover | Portland International Airport Portland, Oregon |
| Destination | Seattle-Tacoma International Airport SeaTac, Washington |
| Occupants | 18 |
| Passengers | 13 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 18 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Location in the United States
Location in Oregon
West Coast Airlines Flight 956 was a scheduled commercial flight in the western United States which crashed on October 1, 1966, approximately 5.5 miles (9 km) south of Wemme, Oregon, southeast of Portland. Thirteen passengers and five crew members were aboard, but none survived. In its first week of service, the aircraft was destroyed by the impact and subsequent fire.
The probable cause of the accident was "the descent of the aircraft below its clearance limit and below that of surrounding obstructing terrain, but the Board was unable to determine the cause of such descent." This accident was the first loss of a Douglas DC-9, and the first fatalities for the airline. Three of the passengers were employees of the airline.